Background

Lo-Fi has the ability to read and write JPEG files. Some users have commented that Lo-Fi writes JPEG files with sizes that are quite different from the original JPEG file. Typically, the output JPEG file is smaller than the original JPEG file but it can sometimes be bigger too.

How does this affect the image quality?

Smooth or blurred areas of the image can be compressed more with little loss of image quality and JPEG files have the ability to target those areas when reducing your file size. Instead of looking at the file size, it is more important to look at the image content itself to see if the image quality is up to the standard that you would expect. If you are printing a photo, it is best to make a test print to check the quality.

Lo-Fi has many effects that create smooth and blurred areas in a photo, such as black and white frames. So the output JPEG files tend to be smaller than the original JPEG file. Lo-Fi's JPEG compression was also tuned to work well with common print sizes up to 8x10", assuming you have a sufficiently large photo to begin with. Our general rule-of-thumb is that if the photo looks good on screen, it will be good enough to print.